Generally, an operational support system (‘OSS’) refers to software that enables the support, administration, and management of a service providers' network. Typically, OSSes are used by telecommunication service providers and allow them to create, deploy, manage and maintain telecommunication services and resources. Over the years, service providers have created a multitude of OSS applications and systems for the various services being offered.
Given today's rapidly changing telecommunications environment, today's OSS systems are not well suited for change. Current OSSes tend to be difficult to modify, costly to maintain, and do not provide service providers with flexibility to extend new services and infrastructure easily. These factors have resulted in high operation and maintenance costs and delays in new service offerings and customer activation.
Customers using today's OSS systems also are at a disadvantage. For example, the majority of OSSes are not well integrated with other service provider systems and provide very little visibility into specific customer information. In addition, customer-facing systems, such as billing and customer care, are typically disconnected from the systems managing the service provider's network and services. As a result, customer loyalty and revenue are being impacted.
Hence, there is a need for OSS systems to be seamlessly integrated with other service provider systems. There is also a need for OSSes to be built upon a common set of interfaces and standards to support a multitude of new and emerging technologies. For example, technologies such as the Internet Protocol (‘IP’), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (‘ATM’), frame relay and digital subscriber line (‘DSL’) are becoming increasingly prevalent in network technologies. In addition, service providers have an increased need for feature-rich services that can manage an ever-increasing number of network resources and protocols while enhancing a customer's quality of service.